Large numbers of rhinos once roamed parts of Nepal, but poachers and a civil war decimated the population. Now the country is working to protect existing rhinos while trying to grow the population.
Image: picture alliance/AP PhotoG. A. Amarasinghe
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Soldiers and forest rangers in Nepal are scouring a national park area searching for poachers who killed a one-horned rhinoceros and cut off its horn over the weekend, officials said Sunday.
Chitwan National Park's forest officer Nurendra Aryal said a team had been set up to investigate the incident, and security had been tightened at the district borders.
The dead pachyderm was found on Saturday, according to the officials.
Chitwan's tigers, elephants and rhinos
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The park's chief warden, Ram Chandra, said the poachers had taken advantage of a storm and heavy rain late Friday.
"The poachers fled with his horn and tail and left the animal in a pool of blood," he said.
"It appears that they were planning this for a long time and were waiting for an opportunity to strike," he said, referring to the stormy weather, which prevented soldiers from hearing the gunshot or seeing the poachers.
Aryal added, "We performed a post-mortem and found that it had been hit by a bullet on its head."
The forest is located 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the capital, Kathmandu, near the Indian border. It is a government-protected area that is guarded by armed soldiers.
Thousands once roamed Nepal
Another rhino died last September, weeks after poachers shot it in the same park. It was the first of the rare animals to be killed in the country in more than two years, Aryal said.
The population decline was particularly severe during Nepal's civil war, from 1996-2006. Soldiers were pulled off anti-poaching duties and redeployed to fight the Maoist guerrilla insurgency.
Since then Nepal has been working to increase the number of one-horned rhinos in the preserve, and the population now tops 600. The park is currently in the process of relocating five rhinos to another conservation area in far-west Nepal to boost the population there.
Shant Raj Jnawali, a rhino expert at conservation group WWF, said the latest death highlighted the vulnerability of the animals despite anti-poaching efforts from the community, park officials and the army.
"We hope that the investigation will help us devise new strategies to strengthen protection for these animals," Jnawali said.
Rhino poaching in Nepal carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail and a 100,000-rupee ($1,000) fine.
bik/se (AP, AFP, dpa)
Poaching takes a toll on elephants
Elephant numbers have dropped by more than 60 percent over the last decade due to habitat loss and poaching. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory and meat.
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/M. Hicken
Dwindling numbers
A century ago, 10 million elephants were roaming across Africa - today, there are an estimated 450,000 to 700,000 African elephants and between 35,000 and 40,000 wild Asian elephants. Since elephant numbers have dropped by 62 percent over the last decade, conservationists fear they could be almost extinct in the next 10 years.
Image: picture-alliance/R. Harding
Killed for their ivory tusks
Every day, around 100 African elephants are killed for their tusks, which end up being sold mainly on the Asian market. In the past five years, Chinese demand for ivory has gone up, which fueled poaching even more. In July, customs officials at Zurich airport seized 262 kilograms (578 pounds) of ivory chopped up and hidden in eight suitcases during a random search on three Chinese passengers.
Image: Reuters/R. Sprich
Conflict fueled by ivory sales
Wildlife trafficking has been estimated to be the third biggest illegal business after drug and human trafficking. Illegal ivory boosts all kind of conflicts across the continent. For example, insurgent groups like Al-Shabab, the Lord's Resistance Army and Boko Haram buy weapons by handing in elephant tusks. A pound of ivory sells for about $1,000 (903 euros) on the Chinese black market.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/African Parks
Coexisting with elephants
Despite a ban on international ivory trade, elephants are still being targeted in large numbers. Organizations like SOS Elephants say it's crucial to teach local communities about why elephants are important for Africa's ecosystem and how they can make a living through ecotourism and coexisting farming techniques instead.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa-Zentralbild
Habitat loss
In addition to poaching, elephants are also struggling with dwindling habitat. Human populations have vastly increased since the turn of the century, meaning there's less space for elephants: Forests have been cleared and turned into land for crops or livestock. And some of the animals have been captured, trained and used for activities such as illegal logging.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini
Silver lining?
At the end of July 2015, US President Barack Obama announced plans to effectively ban most ivory trade in the United States and to add new restrictions when it could be exported. The US is the second biggest market for ivory after China which has also pledged to clamp down on ivory trade on its domestic markets.
